On Air News Read for May 8, 2017

Preston “P” Thorpe, the man the Manchester Police Department wanted for dealing Carfentanil and cast a nationwide net to find last week was found on Friday. The twenty four year old didn’t get too far from home before being caught. Thanks to an anonymous tip, he was found holed up at the Best Western on South Willow Street. He was taken into custody without incident. In issuing the notice, Police Chief Nick Willard thanked law enforcement agencies and the media for their assistance in locating Thorpe. In addition to being charged with Possession of a Controlled Drug, he’s also been charged with several parole violations. He is expected to appear in Manchester District Court today.

Bradley: Supports cross border interdiction

Also on the battling drugs front, the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted to pass Senate Bill 1 3 1 last week. The bill establishes a cross border drug interdiction program to curb the flow of drugs coming into New Hampshire. It now goes before the House Finance Committee. Following the vote, Senate Majority Leader, Jeb Bradley, Republican from Wolfeboro, issued a statement expressing his satisfaction with the vote, calling it an important and effective way to fight the opioid epidemic. Quote :

Operation Granite Hammer has very successfully removed drug dealers from our streets, cutting the supply of deadly drugs in our communities. This legislation will expand those efforts and also help prevent drugs from coming into New Hampshire in the first place with more targeted interdiction at the Massachusetts border.

Sununu: Want to sign

Governor Christopher Sununu also expressed his approval of the vote saying he looked forward to signing the legislation because it will quote:

lead to safer communities, safer roads and, hopefully, provide a pathway to treatment and recovery for those in need.

Speaking of safer roads, the House also passed Senate Bill 3 8, which would send nearly thirty seven million dollars in surplus Fiscal Year ’17 funds to communities for road and bridge projects.

Morse: Infrastructure bill passes House

Bill sponsor, Senate President Chuck Morse, Republican from Salem, issued a statement giving the House a pat on the back for its vote. He said improving infrastructure, including numerous red listed bridges, is a priority of the state and that sending this money back was a way to benefit citizens and small businesses. Quote:

We have a responsibility to spend taxpayer dollars wisely and I believe sending back surplus taxpayer funds to our communities for the purpose of making critical community improvements is the right thing to do.

Sununu, who proposed this one time distribution of one time funds to local jurisdictions for one time projects also issued a statement. He said the bill was a critical step forward to delivering for the taxpayers. Quote:

Sununu: As I said…

As I stated in my budget address, for years we have heard how the state cannot control local property taxes, but what we can do is use infrastructure grants to give our towns more financial flexibility and target key areas of need to our communities.

News from our own backyard continues after this.

Obama: Bake sale banner

The Manchester Board of School Committee meets tonight at seven at City Hall. On the agenda is an update on the district’s tenuous budget situation. Expect discussion and further votes on the coming year’s budget. Also on the agenda is a move by Board Vice Chairman Arthur Beaudry to require parents to send written approval of their children’s participation in bake sales. Without such approval, children will not be able to purchase items sold at any bake sale that features non-complaint foods. What’s a non-compliant food, you ask? Anything that fails to meet Michelle Obama’s guidelines for healthy eating, which we all know she, herself, doesn’t follow. Anyway, it ought to be interesting.

Auburn Police Commission: Meetings now on YouTube

The Auburn Police Commission is trying something new. It’s video recording its meetings and posting them on YouTube . Commission meetings are generally held on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 PM at the Auburn Safety Complex. In a statement issued by the town, they said the commission agreed to the video recordings to make their meetings more accessible to the public. While the meetings are not broadcast live, they are put online the day after the meeting. We’ve got the link to their YouTube Channel with this news read at Girard at Large dot com. Kudos to the folks in Auburn for their continued efforts to be transparent with the public they serve. Obviously there’s an interest in the meetings, as the first video has been viewed more than one hundred sixty times since being posted on May third.

Wellness Fair on the horizon

The Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Family Health and Wellness Fair, is scheduled for this Saturday, May 13th at the Boys and Girls Club in Milford. Admission is free for this great event which will help participants learn how to get healthy and feel better. In addition to health screenings, vision and dental checks, and women stuff, there will be interactive booths, demonstrations of various fitness techniques, family activities and safety checks for children. Activities include a Teddy Bear Clinic, where children bring their favorite stuffed animal or doll along for a wellness check-up. The Milford Police Department will perform bike and helmet safety checks, the Red Cross will be there to take your blood if you’d like to donate and OOOOHHH sooo much more. Be sure to drop in!

About The Author

Richard H. Girard is a well known and highly respected conservative public figure and opinion maker in southern New Hampshire. A native of Manchester, NH, Rich has devoted more than two decades to serving and educating the community about the critical issues in local politics and government. Rich’s diverse background includes running for and holding public office, providing leadership and management for other candidates’ political campaigns, extensive experience in the public and not-for-profit sectors, being sought as a political commentator by media outlets across the region, and having started and run three businesses, including this one.